Two commonly used terms from Hinduism are Atman (a human soul) and Brahman (the universal soul).
Pantheism teaches that there is no real difference between Brahman and Atman.
We are one with the universe. We need to realize that through meditation. Any distinction is an illusion. There is no good or evil, only Brahman and illusion.
Buddhist, be enlightened and be one with the universe.
BELIEF: REALITY
Pantheism, panpsychism
Reality, time and individuality are illusions
BELIEF: KNOWLEDGE
There is no knowledge, but oneness and “unknowing” .
There is no “you”
BELIEF: HUMAN PROBLEMS
All problems are illusions
Self-perception is the only problem
We trick ourselves that the physical is what is important
BELIEF: SOLUTIONS TO HUMAN PROBLEMS
Meditation is the way to bypass illusions and perceive Reality.
In Christianity meditation is taking idea and/or concept and concentrate mind on it. I.e. god is love think about that
BELIEF: HUMAN VALUE
All things are equally valuable or of no value
There are values, but they become meaningless in light of the oneness of Brahman.
I love you. I love lamp. You love everything, then loving one thing in particular doesn’t mean anything.
BELIEF: HUMAN PURPOSE
To become one with the univers
Hinduism, is to do your purpose and find release in chain of re encarnation
BELIEF: ETHICS
No one. No one way is better than another.
Hinduism—Dharma, Karma
Buddhism—The eightfold path
BELIEF: SUFFERING
Suffering is not real.
The goal of Buddhism is to escape from suffering (Dukkha).
Hinduism sees suffering as an effect karma.
BELIEF: MEANING IN LIFE
No meaning or overarching story.
Reality is cyclical.
BELIEF: HUMAN DESIRE
Desire is painful, to be eradicated
Desire is the cause of suffering
Does Pantheism pass test of evidence?
No, b/c everything is an illusion, no evidence can be given unless you yourself are enlightened. Not rationality based religion. It’s not about evidence, it’s about going beyond evidence.
Consistency?
No, law of contradiction. They don’t follow logic consistently
Existential Repugnance?
If you believe everything is an illusion, then why avoid things or not eat. Why play according to world’s rules if it’s not real.
TERMS TO KNOW
Brahman—ultimate level of reality ties everything together, world soul, “the force”
Cosmic Consciousness—going beyond local consciousness, being one with the universe
Meditation—concentrating on nothingness (eastern), concentrate on one idea/thing (western). Om
Pantheism—everything is god.
What’s the appeal of pantheism?
Hitting the reset button, not as high standards as Christianity.
How do Christians respond?
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
Atman refers to the spirit of each individual living thing. Each living thing such as people, animals, and plants has an atman that forms an everlasting essence. The body houses the atman until the body dies. Atman is immortal and eternal. Brahman is the endless essence of the universe and the ultimate divine reality. It is the life foundation of all that has been. Brahman is not an individual being. More like the original ground or reality of all being and existence.…
- 1579 Words
- 7 Pages
Good Essays -
He identified contemplative practices in Judeo-Christianity, which focused thought on a specific subject, religious concept or passage, to restore calm and well-being; which correlates with mindfulness. Having grown up in a Jewish household and having worked in a Jewish Day School, "I" am aware that Orthodox Jews spend many hours contemplating messages in the Old Testament, the Kabala and other religious texts. Following communion in the Catholic Church, there is a short meditation for contemplative thought. Catholics are always encouraged to reflect on their lives and actions. There has been a recent resurgence in meditation and contemplative practice in the worldwide Christian (including Catholic) community following the traditional practices…
- 236 Words
- 1 Page
Good Essays -
Meaning- Hinduism teaches that there are four primary goals for life. They are pleasure, wealth, harmony, and liberation. One person can never attain all four goals at the same time though. They are constantly at war with each other. If one persues pleasure and wealth it consumes them but if they persue harmony and liberation they are fulfilled. Their concept of salvation is called moksha. This is the release from the endless cycle of wanting, desiring, and craving. Central Hinduism is based on abandoning the first two goals of pleasure and wealth and achieving the latter two, harmony and liberation.…
- 408 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
This site gives the basics of meditation that can easily be done throughout the day. It lists some books that can be used to further the intensity of the meditation. The purpose of meditation is to clear the mind and achieve a feeling of peace and serenity to help eliminate stress. The basics of meditation is to clear the mind and use your breathing to put yourself into a relaxed state.…
- 560 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
I do not believe that it is possible to “prove” the existence of God in the scientific sense. However, based on the arguments reviewed in favor of the rationality of God, I can enumerate reasons to believe that God exists and is active in the universe.…
- 580 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
On a similar matter, can the existence of God be proven? This is a difficult question to answer. I am a devout Christian, but I have done extensive research on this topic and I keep coming back to the conclusion of no. I do not believe it is possible to prove the existence of God,…
- 164 Words
- 1 Page
Good Essays -
* Furthermore, in Ibid, the Upanishad described that Brahman is the group of all being, whether material or spiritual, in the form of man, beasts, or gods, heaven, earth, or hell, is an all-inclusive unitary reality, beyond sense-apprehension, ultimate in substance, infinite in essence and self-sufficient; it is the only really existent entity. (129)…
- 1426 Words
- 6 Pages
Good Essays -
Hinduism is the third major faith, after Christianity and Islam. Moreover, Hindus have confidence that if they live agreeing to their dharma; (Conscience) is one’s purpose or a role to reach heaven.…
- 1411 Words
- 5 Pages
Powerful Essays -
Meditation, along with many benefits, has its downfalls. There are many different ways of meditation, some fit for some but not for others. For example when Siddhartha went with the Samanas and was taught by them. He believed they would never reach Nirvana, may learn some tricks but not "the way". The teachings of the Samanas including fasting, and near death experiences. This includes holding your breath, and putting your self in the body of a dead animal. But the biggest thing, for Siddhartha at least, was it was time consuming and took much concentration when, you could just simply drink alcohol or…
- 655 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Father Thomas Keating, the abbot of St. Joseph’s Abbey, couldn’t help noticing the attraction that the exotic religious practices of the East held for many young Roman Catholics (Adler 1). He was a Trappist monk, so meditation was second nature, but he kept thinking there must be a precedent within the church for making such simple but powerful spiritual techniques available to laypeople. His Trappist brother Father William Meninger found it one day in 1974, in a dusty copy of a 14th century guide to contemplative meditation, “The Cloud of Unknowing” (Adler, 1). The two monks began teaching a form of Christian meditation that grew into the worldwide phenomenon known as centering prayer. Twice a day for twenty minutes, practitioners find a quiet place to sit with their eyes closed and surrender their minds to God (Adler, 1). In more than a dozen books and in speeches and retreats that have attracted tens of thousands, Keating has spread the word to a world of “hungry people, looking for a deeper relationship with God” (Adler, 1). There are many factors of religion that tie in to the article In Search of the Spiritual including socializing agents and culture, manifest and latent functions, and the profane and sacred.…
- 1155 Words
- 5 Pages
Better Essays -
Another piece of evidence is the dinosaurs. Nowhere in the Bible does it mention the dinosaurs (apart from once it says reptiles, but this is taken to mean present day reptiles as WE know them; snakes, iguanas and alligators etc…) We have fossils as rock solid proof that nobody can argue with, which shows that dinosaurs and creatures of that time really did exist. This doesn’t fit in with the religious theory; in fact it goes against it.…
- 1070 Words
- 5 Pages
Better Essays -
Meditation is a practice that is found in some form across religions and continents, it is a concept that has been around for ages. Meditation has many positive effects on its participants ranging from the emotion level through increased positive emotions, better emotional regulation, and better socioemotional adaptability, cognitive level by modifying our perception of pain and stress, and on the physiological level by altering our heart rate, altering our brain functioning, and actually altering some of our brain structure to better deal with pain. Meditation is not mysticism but rather science that is starting to be uncovered.…
- 2875 Words
- 12 Pages
Best Essays -
To know whether religious arguments are convincing or not, Richard Swinburne has suggested two principles that may be used to assess claims about religious experiences. First, he suggested what he calls that ‘principle of credulity’. Swinburne argued that, other things being equal, we have good reason to believe what a person tells us is correct. In general, if a person tells us that they can see a cat crossing the road, we believe them, even if we have not seen the event. Even if only one person sees the event, they still count. Swinburne says “the principle of credulity states that we ought to believe that things are as seen to be, unless or until we have evidence that they are mistaken” by this Swinburne means that unless you can prove that the person often lies or has been or drinking or on drugs, then there is no reason not to believe that they had a religious experience. Swinburne also suggests the principle of testimony; he argues that it is reasonable to believe what someone tells you. For example, if your best friend tells you about a religious experience he or she had, do you have reason to disbelieve them? It may be that you want to investigate what they said, but that is not a reason to automatically reject what they claim to have experienced. Therefore, Swinburne believes that arguments for religious experience are convincing, until they can be proven otherwise.…
- 1163 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
Evidence is a valid reason to believe something because once something has been proven through observation, it cannot be argued. It is simply fact, according to Dawkins. On the other hand, when a claim is justified by tradition, authority or revelation there is still room for opinion and argument. When a fact can be argued, it is unfounded and therefore is not a fact at all. In the case of tradition, Dawkins explains that often traditions (specifically religions) stem from stories written long ago that were passed down through generations. Somewhere along the way, they began to be construed as fact, but there is no way of knowing for certain who originally believed them and whether they had evidence or even if they were meant to be taken seriously at all. He then rationalizes that the appeal to authority is fallacy because being in an authoritative position does not make a person all-knowing, nor does it mean that they are always right. Without evidence,…
- 1107 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
What is soul? This particular question’s answer may be known to all yet in bits and parts, not the entirety .The scientific explanation to the soul has been beautifully portrayed in the Vedas*, Upanishads* and Gita*. Yet they are not so simple for the common public who want to know more about the soul. Our one of the most loved and popular slokas* from the Bhagavat Gita is…
- 1354 Words
- 6 Pages
Good Essays